He is definitely one of the major players in the area and seems to be a good guy as well.

:) Quick Facts: - Bachelors in Nursing: UCLA- Masters in progress in Family Medicine Nursing: UCI 2017- Recently Engaged! 

Then moving into fix and flip and eventually, holding properties for passive income...Over teh last few months, I have engaged myself in extensive (REI..) training.

Before I get started, am looking for advice on any pitfalls to consider before I engage in a zoning discussion with Regional Building. 

It's a big area, and there's significant players in the market.  

I have handled a similar scenario through a JV agreement.Your friend can be a "consultant"/contractor you engage, and upon sale of the property he gets paid back $X (which includes his capital and profit%) and you 1099 him.Consult with your CPA.

I am in the early stages of evaluating multiple properties, so a little too early to be engaging an insurance broker for every property I want to evaluate.I am looking for a solid number to be able to plug into the handy-dandy BP Rental Property Calculator.If it helps, I'm looking at properties in Des Moines, Iowa (IA), but am still open to what you're seeing in other states.Any help/insight would be greatly appreciated.Thank you!!

Just wondering when is a good time to start engaging the services of an accountant, lawyer, broker etc?

You can read about it here.https://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/2014/04/0...It sounds like a transition to civilian life may be on the horizon for you and, if that's the case, as a veteran, I encourage you to engage the counselors at the transition office and take advantage of all the resources they have available to assist you.

I didn't sell the player.